Google (GOOGL.O) of Alphabet Inc. is establishing its first ever Africa product development centre in Nairobi, Kenya, as it prepares to service a growing number of internet users on the continent.
According to the California-based corporation, by the end of this decade, the continent will have 800 million internet users and a third of the world’s adolescent population, making it an appealing investment destination.
According to Suzanne Frey, vice president of products, and Nitin Gajria, head of Google Africa, in a joint blog post on Tuesday, Google is seeking engineers, product managers, user experience designers, and researchers to staff the new centre.
Sundar Pichai, the firm’s CEO, announced in October that the company will invest $1 billion in various programmes across the continent over the next five years to help economies accelerate their digital transformation.
It has already established an artificial intelligence centre in Accra, Ghana, focused on solutions to diverse problems.
Microsoft (MSFT.O) has also invested $100 million in technology development centres in Kenya and Nigeria, employing hundreds of engineers in both countries.
